soccer

Sports officials in Greece are investigating the actions of one team owner, who apparently was carrying a gun when he charged onto the pitch to protest a disputed goal at the end of Sunday’s Greek Super League match, Reuters reported.

Greece’s sports minister said Monday he was considering sanctions against Ivan Savvides, the owner of soccer team PAOK and one of the country’s richest men. Photographs and video footage showed Savvides, with what appeared to be revolver strapped to a holster on his waist, trying to intervene in the closing moments of a home match against rival AEK of Athens, Reuters reported.

After Fernando Varela scored from a header in the 89th minute, putting PAOK ahead 1-0, the referee signaled a score but then disallowed it for offside, ESPN reported. Savvides walked onto the pitch twice to protest the call. The first time he was wearing an overcoat; the second time, his coat was off and his holster was in plain view, Reuters reported. Savvides did not draw a weapon from the holster.

The goal was eventually allowed to stand and PAOK was awarded a 1-0 win, ESPN reported.

AEK officials claimed Savvidis threatened the referee during his trip onto the pitch.

"We suddenly saw a man on the pitch with bodyguards and everyone started saying it was the PAOK president and he went first to the referee and then to our bench and started threatening everyone," AEK Athens coach Manolo Jimenez told Radio Marca.

"We didn't fear for our lives initially, but then, when I saw the photographs of the gun, you think to yourself, 'What if he does something crazy and pulls it out?' It's true that initially we didn't know that he had a gun on his belt, but that could be a small thing as he could have authorization to carry one, but what isn't normal is that a president jumps onto the pitch to protest and threatens a referee.”

“As a progressive, diverse university, we ... feel like this sort of behavior should not be tolerated,” said India Bridgeforth, who created a petition demanding the university take a tougher approach with Martinez.

Associate athletic director Mike Holmes told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that officials were made aware of Martinez’s post Friday morning — just days after the University of Alabama expelled a 19-year-old student who posted a video of a racist rant on her Finsta page.

That student, Harley Barber, uploaded a second video on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in response to people who were upset by the language and threatened those who wanted to report her fake Instagram account, The Washington Post reported.

The teens were arrested by Naples police Dec. 15 on charges of grand theft and auto theft, the Daily News reported. The juveniles, whose names are not being released because they are minors, admitted committing the crimes when interviewed, police said.

Wambach had posted an angry message on Instagram about the alleged crimes.

Wambach — a longtime U.S. soccer player and Olympic gold medalist — and her wife, Glennon Doyle Melton, told police that someone entered Wambach’s car parked in the driveway of their home between 1:30 and 4:30 a.m. Dec. 6.

In a post on Instagram, Wambach said the burglars stole valuables and wrote hate speech with a permanent marker all over the inside of the car, according to the post.

The Dec. 6 Instagram post said a neighbor's surveillance camera recorded video of the burglars, with one wearing a hoodie and cargo shorts and another wearing an Ohio State cap, a gray top, and Nike shorts and shoes. The burglars left fingerprints on the car door.

“Neighbors camera got you, you idiots!! If you turn yourself in now, and return the stolen property, and pay for the car damages we won’t press charges,” Wambach wrote on the Instagram post. “If you don’t, you are going to jail. You have 24 hours.”

Two of the three arrested attend Gulf Coast High School in North Naples, the police report states. Two of those arrested are 15, while the other is 14, police said.

Two of the three each face four charges: grand theft of a motor vehicle worth less than $100,000; grand theft from a motor vehicle, worth between $300 and $5,000; burglary without a weapon; and criminal mischief.

The third suspect was charged with one count of grand theft of a motor vehicle worth less than $100,000, according to the police report.

Solo told Expresso that Blatter grabbed her buttocks before the pair went on stage in 2013 to present an award to Solo’s teammate, Abby Wambach.

“It's been normalized,” Solo said of such behavior.

A representative for Blatter called the allegation “ridiculous” in a statement to Expresso and The Guardian.

Solo and Blatter walked onstage together in January 2013 to present the 2012 women's world player of the year award to Wambach.

“I was in shock and completely thrown off," Solo told The Guardian on Friday. “I had to quickly pull myself together to present my teammate with the biggest award of her career and celebrate with her in that moment, so I completely shifted my focus to Abby.”

Solo said she never saw Blatter again after the ceremony, ESPN reported.

Blatter, now 81, was banned by FIFA in 2015 over a conflict of interest case.

“While in this instance it was Sepp Blatter, who was the most powerful man in football at the time, sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior are rampant at every level in women's sport, and it needs to stop,” Solo said.

Alex Morgan, who also plays for the Orlando Pride, was out with Orlando City player Donny Toia and his wife, and after some sort of altercation, the trio was kicked out of the park and told not to come back, authorities said.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office released body camera footage of the three as deputies issued them trespass warnings for “conduct not welcome on Walt Disney property.”

Organizers leading a North American bid to host the 2026 World Cup trimmed its list of potential host cities to 32 on Wednesday, and 254 cities in the United States remain in the running as venues for soccer’s showcase event, The Washington Post reported.

U.S. cities eliminated from consideration were Birmingham, Alabama; Cleveland; Indianapolis; Jacksonville, Florida; New Orleans; Pittsburgh; and San Antonio, Texas. The two Canadian cities dropped from the list were Regina and Ottawa.

The World Cup was last staged in North America during the summer of 1994.

If the North American bid is successful, the United States would stage 60 matches in about a dozen venues, the Post reported. Mexico and Canada would have 10 games apiece.

All three Mexican bidding cities (Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey) are widely expected to make the final cut. Canada will probably settle for two venues, with Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Edmonton in the running.

Representatives from the remaining cities will meet in Houston next month for a working session with the United Bid Committee. FIFA — soccer’s international governing body — will announce the winner in June, the Post reported.

England's all-time record scorer, who played for Everton, was stopped by police near his home in Cheshire on Thursday night, the BBC reported.

Rooney, 31, announced his international retirement last week, after 53 goals for his country in 119 appearances.

Earlier Thursday, Rooney had been pictured at the Bubble Room bar in Alderley Edge, with the image appearing on Instagram at 10 p.m., The Independent reported. The photograph was later deleted once reports of Rooney’s alleged arrest became public.

Cheshire police declined to comment and Everton has not responded to the BBC's request for a statement.

Messi, 30, married 29-year-old Antonela Roccuzzo in a civil ceremony at a luxury hotel in Rosario. More than 250 guests attended the ceremony, including Messi’s teammates from Barcelona, Luis Suarez, Neymar and Gerald Pique; and Colombia pop star Shakira, the BBC reported.

Messi, a forward for Barcelona, first met Roccuzzo when he was 13.

Argentina's Clarín newspaper has called the nuptials "the wedding of the year" and "the wedding of the century," the BBC reported.

“Being who he is, he could have been married in the best place in the world, and must have had many offers,” Enrique Dominguez, Messi’s former coach at Newell’s Old Boys, told CNN. “And yet he chose Rosario.”

Ronaldo confirmed the birth of the boy and girl after the Portuguese national team lost in the semifinals of the Confederation Cup in Kazan, Russia. Portugal and Chile played to a scoreless tie, but Chile advanced on penalty kicks.

Ronaldo posted a photo holding the twins, noting that he was “So happy to be able to hold the two new loves of my life.”

Ronaldo already has a son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., who was born in June 2010, the BBC reported.

The twins were born on June 8, the BBC said unconfirmed reports out of Portugal. The SIC television station reported the children were named Mateo and Eva, the BBC said.